


Kuebiko

by glisean



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Crimes & Criminals, Fluff, Graphic Description of Corpses, M/M, Murder Mystery, Police Academy AU, Serial Killers, Sexual Violence, Slow Build, Stalking, Starfleet Academy, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 11:01:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7681858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glisean/pseuds/glisean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You can settle for less than an ordinary life, or do you feel like you were born for something better, something special?"</p><p>James more or less settles. But just when he was starting to get comfortable with ordinary, he realizes that police work is anything but. Months away from graduating from the academy, Jim finds himself playing the role of victim and premature investigator in a series of seemingly connected murders.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. objectif

 

 

 

_\---_

 

 

 

_"Welcome to the demobilization and accuracy course, please select your weapon and await the countdown."_

James T. Kirk stepped up to the firing line alongside fourty or so other cadets as the monotone and feminine voice of the simulator rang out over their heads. He reached for the lightest looking phaser pistol on the rack that had slid down from the ceiling to greet him as he approached the dark glass enclosure. He found that he preferred smaller weapons. The type II phaser didn't have the power some of of the heavier rifles offered, but he felt the range of movement and concealability more than made up for it. He layed the weapon on the stainless steel bench down range to secure his earbuds and slid his fingers over the small buttons of the wireless music player tucked into his waistband. Satisfied with his song selection, he straightened his posture, set the weapon to stun for safety and aimed down the target line just as the long countdown blaring over the firing range's speakers was drowned out by Beastie Boys "Intergalactic". Call him old fashioned, but classical had a way of settling his nerves in a way that the nu age electronic his dormmates preferred could not.

There was a single flash of one last warning alarm and the holographic image of a moving target blinked into existence before him. Reacting an impressive fraction of a second later, his finger curled down to meet the smooth cylindrical surface of the phaser trigger. The beam burst out and struck the dark and flickering image of a humanoid threat, not hitting the figure squarely in the chest but in the leg to wound. The projection realistically crumpled to the ground and faded just as another took its place behind a moving obstacle. Jim was fast, his eyes flicking back and fourth in increasing concentration as the course increased in difficulty. Multiple and varied humanoid targets were popping in and out of sight, giving him a small window of action as some of them were intertwined with the noticeably blue sillhouettes of simulated hostages. When one of them appeared to have its arms around one of the civilians in a threatening manner, Jim didn't hesitate to aim right above the squirming shoulder of the featureless yet distressed hostage hologram and shoot to kill his target. Just when the chaos of the moving threats had him pulled into the tunnelling routine of reload, aim, fire and repeat, the previously opaque barricades on either side of him turned transparent. Thrusting him into the difficult challenge of concentrating admist the distraction of his adjacent neighbors and consequently, their targets. Hostages were turning red from misaimed shots at the corner of his eye but he carried on until almost abruptly the targets stopped coming. He had made it through four songs by the time the weapon racks were sliding back down to greet him at the end of the simulation.

Jim let out the breath he'd been holding and pulled out his earbuds. Chatter filtered in around him as others were stretching the stiffness out of their shoulders and turning to compliment each other. It was easy to read the anxiety, some of the confidence in their faces as they were already trying to predict their performance scores. Jim was honestly just happy to have made it this far, but with just under a year of training and examination left he didn't think he could deal if he failed at this point. The past three years had been surprisingly taxing and not as unstimualting as he'd originallly suspected going in. He'd only consciously missed two out of just over a hundred possible targets, an accomplishment at this level. Yet he couldn't muster the same confidence in his performance that he had up until now; the last simulation he'd been put through hadn't gone as expected.

"I'm sure it was a cake walk for you, Jim." Someone clapped a hand on his back and he snapped out of thought as he realized that at some point he'd been surrounded by a group of other cadets standing in his area. He looked up and flashed a smile at his friend and dorm neighbor, Sulu, before offering a shy, "Nah, but I think I did alright."

"I did not think that it would be so intense." The fast and heavily accented voice of Sulu's roomate and partner in crime Chekov piped in. Jim found himself distracted once more as the teasing about Pavel's predictably excellent performance started up amongst the group. There was one person left still standing near Jim's station at the firing line. The weapon rack was still down and waiting for the user to return their weapon. The immediate area was consequently still bathed with crimson light to signify the station was in use, however it seemed no one had paid it any mind. Sensing something was off, Jim took a step towards the turned back of a cadet aiming at something in front of him.

"Mitchell?" He called out to the familiar back of his classmate who didn't turn around to face him. Instead the brunette seemed to be staring and pointing the phaser rifle at something just beyond the bench, but when Jim followed his line of sight he found nothing at the end of the barrel. Only blank space and the shaky grip of the man holding the weapon. He covered one of Mitchell's hands with his, and pushed lightly to lower his aim. "Everything alright, Gary?"

"I missed every shot."

Jim shifted uncomfortably in place, "What?"

"I missed every shot, didn't you see?" He fixed Kirk with a piercing look. "Didn't you see," He repeated, "You were right next to me."

"No I guess I just kept my eyes on my course." He regretted it the minute it came out of his mouth, "But you know I'm sure it wasn't that bad." He lifted a hand to clap his friend on the shoulder reassuringly, but stiffened when he noticed the unreadable expression Mitchell was fixing him with.

"If you're sure." Mitchell responded. The man held the phaser away from his body in what seemed to be an offer to Jim, but it was hard to tell with the way he was staring at him and the fact that the weapon was aimed towards him. Jim still accepted and dropped his hands down to gently pull it away, trying to keep the ejection end away from his body as he turned to replace it on the rack. If he noticed that the rifle was set to kill, he didn't choose to comment at that moment, instead he watched as the other trainee turned away from the station and headed out into the hall.

"Everything alright?" It was Sulu, who had likely been standing close by the entire time.

"Yeah, just stress I guess." But he didn't have to guess. He'd noticed the changes in his once always friendly colleague and he knew he wasn't alone. People were saying Mitchell would wash out of the program and Sulu had probably heard the rumours as well.

There was a commotion by the door and the trainees were suddenly rushing out, presumably to see the scores that had appeared on the screen just outside the range. Sulu glanced at him reassuringly and they both followed the rest of the group out into the hall where the crowd had formed.

**COURSE 26400: ACCURACY**

**4546835.........................100%**

The words seemed excessively large and bright on the screen as a long list of identification numbers slid into view seconds after he joined the crowd. Jim didn't need to scan the endless row of numbers for his own ID, his was the first one that popped up on the screen. He'd done well, in fact he'd gotten a perfect score. He swore that he missed two targets at some point, but it was hard to say for sure with so much going on towards the end. There was another perfect score under his own name, and below that the next highest score was at ninety percent and the scores dropped from there. Before he could think too hard about the other person who had aced the course, he was being rushed by a very excited Chekov and Sulu. "I can't believe we scored in the top ten!" A few other cadets glanced over at them with mostly amusement. "Well, how'd you do?"

Jim scratched the back of his neck and smiled, "I didn't do bad."

Sulu cocked his head in doubt.

He completely caved, "Alright I aced it." Chekov vibrated in place in response while Sulu and a few others nearby congradulated him, "We have to celebrate!" the younger cadet insisted.

"I don't know, I might just cut out.." Jim was abruptly interrupted by someone shoving past him roughly. "Watch it!" He called out, and then stopped as the person turned to look at him. It was Mitchell again, and Jim caught not a small amount of anger in his eyes before he turned away and pushed past the crowd to leave.

"That was very rude." Chekov commented.

 

 

\---

 

 

 

By the time Jim stepped out of the bar he'd been dragged to just outside of the Presidio he was practically gasping for the fresh air. The place in question was some seedy and rather smokey little bar. The owner probably kept the place open purely on the patronage of the trainees in his own dorm block and a few older starfleet officials avoiding the buzz of the busier parts of the city at this time of night. Still, he'd appreciated the distraction and the entertainment courtesy of Sulu and Chekov's drunken singing. They had insisted, upon Jim's announcement that he would be returning to the building, that he stay and leave with the group. He'd instead declined their offer, and after making sure that they wouldn't be stumbling home without a ride from one of the other cadets in their group, headed out to start the long walk home and a rare opportunity to clear his head.

He thought of what had happened with Mitchell. They'd been fast friends the first year of training, and he remembered the ease at which the other cadet had taken Jim under his wing when he'd first enrolled. It hadn't been easy to say the least, to accept the discipline that Pike had noticed was missing in him the day he'd found him on the floor of that bar back in Iowa.

" _So your dad died, you can settle for less than an ordinary life, or do you feel like you were born for something better, something special?_ "

But hadn't he settled? Pike had offered him a position in Starfleet. He'd even boarded that shuttle to San Francisco with full intention of leaving Iowa behind for sure, but like so many things he hadn't followed through. He couldn't be George Kirk, and for a while he convinced himself that finding his own path meant that he didn't have to be. But then he'd watch a shuttle break orbit on quiet evenings and wondered if in his attempt to find his route to being a better man he hadn't gone the wrong way.

He hadn't realized how dark it was until now when he found that looking back he could barely make out where the marsh began and where the path ended. He continued down what he assumed was Old Mason street for his dorms, and found himself hyperaware of the silence that greeted him. It was interrupted only by the sound of gravel crunching beneath his feet as he moved among the trees. He stopped short. He thought he heard the extra crunch of an extra pair of feet behind him. When he looked back to see if anyone was there, he was only greeted by the sight of tall trees swaying in the night breeze and the blinking and distant lights just outside the Presidio.

"Is someone there?"

Predictably, he didn't get an answer. But he doubted that another student would be skulking back to the dorms at this time of the night on a tuesday, and if it was someone with ill intent they were unlikely to answer.

"If you're out there...you should know that I'm not unarmed." He was lying, but his mugger didn't need to know that. He scoffed at his own paranoia and continued along the path.

Roughly ten minutes later, when he was making out the buildings of his dorm block some distance away, he heard it again. This time he didn't stop moving, instead looking over his shoulder with an unexpected and severe fear that curled its way into the pit of his stomach with an intensity that he'd never admit to feeling.

This time he was certain he'd heard the crunch of footsteps behind him. Now he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him, just out of sight. He was willing but not quite ready to have to defend himself after leaving the bar with a few drinks in him. Instead he picked up the pace and sighed a breath of relief when a few minutes later he was stepping into the illuminated stretch of academy housing and dorms.


	2. atteri

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

Jim burst into his shared room once the lock clicked open in recognition at the bar code on his key card.

"Damnit Jim, you scared the crap out of me." His roommate grumbled at him from somewhere under a stack of pillows on their couch.

"Bones?" Jim couldnt find the other man's face underneath the dizzying pattern of the couch cushions.

Leonard McCoy's head popped up to scowl at his close friend, "What are you rushin' in for anyway?"

"What? Nothing!" Jim quickly answered, embarrassed to admit that he'd nearly booked it all the way home in fear of what was probably just a stray cat. He shut the door behind him slowly. "Did I interrupt you mid-stroke or something?" He shot back.

Jim was answered with a pillow aimed at his face, the mishapen lump bounced off his head and slid to the floor. "You interrupted my god damn sleep." There was still a smile on McCoy's tired face when he threw his legs off of the armrest to face Jim.

It was just as well, Jim noticed that McCoy was still wearing his now completely wrinkled uniform. It would've been hard on his back the next morning if he spent the night on the couch. The older trainee had no doubt spent another night putting in extra hours at the local relief clinic as part of his field training. As much as his friend insisted that he was "just a country doctor", Jim knew he could've easily have been a medical officer on a starship, maybe even a chief. And just thinking about it, he knew that Bones had even less to lose than him by breaking orbit. Whatever practice and living situation the young doctor had alluded to having back in Georgia, it had probably dissolved right along with his marriage. Rather than leave he'd allowed his fear of space to keep him tethered just as Jim was and worked himself to the bone. Earth, Jim noted, had a way of doing that to people.

There was noise in the small living area as Bones started to pull off pristine looking white boots and tear off the velcro straps of his lab jacket. "I heard you had 264 today. How'd it go?"

McCoy's question roused Jim into finally moving away from the front door to toss his leather bag onto the couch. He threw himself down next to his roommate. "I didn't miss a shot."

McCoy picking up on his less than thrilled tone, "You passed? So then why do you sound like someone shot your dog."

"I don't have a dog." Jim responded, avoiding the question.

Bones slapped his friend's leg petulantly, "Damnit Jim, don't tell me you're still hurtin over the crisis simulation."

"No it's not that." Jim lied, waving a hand in dismissal.

"Good, cause that was three weeks ago. And no one, not even you can cheat death." There was an air of finality to his words, as if simply saying the words would eliminate any doubt in Jim's mind about his ability to be an officer. Simulation or not, they were tested in a high stakes hostage situation and all he'd learned was that when it came down to it, he would fail.

"You know who was upset though," he waited for Bones to glance at him questioningly; "Gary Mitchell. He practically ripped my head off when the scores came in."

"No kidding. What happened?"

"After the sim I caught him still standing there, just being...weird? Anyway he seemed pretty upset about missing every shot." He didn't mention the kill setting. He was worried but he didnt want Bones overreacting about something that could've been an accident. "Then after it was like he shoved by me on purpose when he heard my score."

McCoy frowned, and he seemed to think about it for a moment before reacting. "Well, all things considering his behavior doesn't exactly shock me."

"All things considering!? What does that even mean? Gary and I are friends, or at least I thought we were."

"Yeah?" Bones cocked his head skeptically at Jim before getting up from the couch with a grunt. Old man. He shuffled around the room in socks and uniform pants to disappear into his bedroom, "You better tell him that, cause I don't think he feels that way after you beat him out of that obstacle course." McCoy's voice faded as he headed to the far side of his room.

"Beat him..? He helped me!"

"Yeah, helped you beat him. If Mitchell hadn't helped you finish your last lap that day he would've beat your time in the pacer."

Jim furrowed his brows in confusion, "Well why didn't he just leave me behind if he didn't want to help me"

"You know you can't leave your partner behind in the pacer. But if you hadn't lost him those extra points in the run he wouldn't have gotten the lowest ranking."

Jim shook his head in disbelief, how long had this been a thing? "Wait a minute, you mean to tell me he's been holding this against me? That wasn't my fault. Bones you know that!"

"Of course it wasn't, kid." Bones had reappeared, wearing a ratty old t-shirt that said "STARFLEET" across the chest and gym shorts. He braced his arms on either side of the narrow door frame. "The truth is, he was going to wash out anyway. The fellas been on a tail spin for longer than that now. Word gets around."

Jim nodded, his mouth forming a thin line at the thought, he'd definitely heard the stories. Aim for the stars they say, enroll in Starfleet. But no one acknowledges the war at home. Defending earth, the federation's most single critical post in the system on the ground from an whole host of alien species paying the planet a visit. Crime among humans was uncommon on earth, but open your doors to enough Ferengi and Klingon and you'd get to see all sorts of illegal activity. What always seems to be an easy alternative to four years training for warp is really just five years of preparing for the front lines, the last line of defense from whoever intends to disturb the bubble of peace on their homeworld. All of this under a less glamorous subdivision of starfleet: planetory protection. Ugly police work, and once you realized what you'd signed up for it was sink or swim.

The stress of constant military level combat training and outerspecies sensitivity classes took its toll. It had taken its toll on Gary Mitchell apparently, his performance scores had been slipping long before Jim had anything to do with it. The person Jim had once called his friend had become an increasingly paranoid xenophobe. A red flag in this line of work where they'd be expected to deescalate all kinds of altercations with aliens from far parts of the federation. His seat in the few classes he shared with Jim had been neglected lately, and on more than one ocassion Jim had caught him picking fights with other trainees, especially the non-human ones.

Jim sighed, "Damn, I can't believe I never picked up on this. I thought he was just stressed."

"We all are." There was a weariness to McCoy's voice when he said it.

Jim let his head fall back and it hit the wall lightly with a thud, he stared up at the white featureless ceiling of their dorm. "I don't know why he's angry at me, I wasn't the only one who got a perfect score."

"Yeah? I'm willing to bet that was Spock." McCoy turned away from the doorframe to disappear once more into the darkness of his bedroom, presumably to prepare for bed.

"Spock?"

"That vulcan fella in section eight. The guy's gotta be the top of our class."

"Huh." Jim scanned his memory. "Never heard of him."

"Course you wouldn't, he doesn't talk to anyone."

"Why not?"

There was a pause and then a response in a sleepy voice,  "How would I know, never met the guy."

Jim stared at the door to his friends room for a few minutes, and when he thought the doctor had drifted off to sleep for sure the southern drawl carried out into the living room again.

"Go to sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be long."

 

 

 

\--- 

 

 

 

Jim woke up on the floor next to the couch an embarrassingly short number of hours later, the hardwood floors unforgiving against his back. McCoy's alarm was shrill and punishing against his eardrums. Surely he hadn't had that much to drink last night. Soon after he could hear the racket as Bones knocked the alarm, and probably half of the things on his dresser, down in the process of shutting off the damn thing. He listened as the older man swore and moved about his room in his morning routine. Jim wondered, not for the first time, why the hell he had to end up rooming with someone who clearly hated mornings but always insisted on being up at ass-o clock.

His own alarm wasn't set to go off for at least another hour, but he was already up and not exactly in the position to try and catch some extra sleep. Jim picked himself up the floor instead, dragging himself over to their small kitchenette to groan a request for two cups of coffee.

"Coffee, black, two sugars." There was a chirp before the glass mug materialized on the replicator counter. He picked it up, put in an order for McCoy's preference and placed it down as the doctor stepped out into the living area with a toothbrush hanging out the corner of his mouth. 

"Thanks" He grumbled, causing toothpaste to dribble down onto his shirt onto his shirt as he accepted the mug from Jim.

By the time they were finally stepping out of their building to head to their first lecture of the day, the sun was still just peering over the horizon and casting the campus grounds in the orange tint of dawn. Despite this, there seemed to be more activity on the campus than usual.  Jim watched as a group of fully outfitted officers marched a path by them. 

"Bit early for all this, ain't it?" Bones remarked. 

Jim had to agree; groups of starfleet cadets and trainees were gathering to discuss whatever it was that was causing all the commotion. He broke into a jog as he approached the source of the problem, ignoring Bones calls as he maneuvered his way through the gathering of students and staff members. When he'd finally moved to the front of the crowd, he found that he was blocked by police barrier. The force field faded in and out of sight in the sun as the words "ROAD CLOSED PENDING INVESTIGATION" moved across the holo projection repeatedly in warning. There were a couple of androids patrolling the area but in the distance Jim could see that rest of them were collecting samples by the mouth of the marsh. 

The press was still pulling up the road in shuttles, some of them unpacking their equipment or mid-report, but something told him that the police had been out here for longer than that. His stomach sank at the realization that just hours earlier, he alone had been down the same path by the marshes. Had they discovered a body floating in the murky waters? Or perhaps he'd somehow made his way through a crime scene. A random act of violence? Had he dodged a bullet, he wondered. 

"Christ, what's this about." He jumped slightly at the sound of McCoy's too close voice behind him. His friend had followed him into the thick of the crowd and returned to his side, now accompanied by Sulu and Uhura.

Nyota was the first to answer. Jim turned to glance at her; she had her arms crossed across her chest tightly, either a reaction to the cold of the early hours of the day or the scene in front of her. "You know I bet this had something to do with the last two murders on the presidio. They're saying they might be connected."

"Of course they're connected, three murders around here!?" McCoy exclaimed, "The academy has to be one of the most heavily protected parts of the city nevermind the entire planet."

Bones was right, if these murders were getting this much attention than they couldn't just be a one off thing; The amount of starfleet security patrolling meant very little slipped by planetary protection. If there was speculation by the press about this being a serial killer then Jim didn't doubt that they were connected. "Do they know who it is yet?"

"If they do, they haven't said anything." Sulu replied. "But so close to the campus, it's gotta be a student right?"

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

Their morning lecture turned out to be cancelled for unknown reasons that Jim guessed had something to do with the investigation. If Sulu was right, the powers that be and academy faculty probably needed the extra time to pull together an official comment for the press. 

Bones had gone off after that, citing that he was needed at the clinic. And since they didn't exactly share a schedule or specialization course in the program, promised to join him for lunch later. Jim was finding that as graduation approached, he saw less and less of his friend. 

He spent the next two hours or so during the gap for his next lecture scrolling through his PADD and reading about the last two murders Nyota had mentioned earlier.

The first victim had been a twenty-three year old science officer, Kim MacDermott. She'd been weeks away from a post on the USS Constellation prior to her disappearance. Her body had eventually washed up on Bakers Beach to be discovered by morning joggers. That was three months ago; Jim hadn't seen the report when it happened but it seemed that they'd initially written it off as an accident when they found some alcohol in her system. The case was apparently being looked at from a new perspective, and when Jim tapped the most recent interview with the victim's family he was faced with the image of a teary-eyed woman with fiery red hair and a equally somber man; Kim's parents.

The woman's voice drifted out of the PADD's speakers as the video began to play, "Everyone who knew our daughter, knew that she was both incredibly kind and hardworking. Hardworking until the end. She was everything that Starfleet claims to stand for." She paused, catching a breath before continuing, "When she was ripped away from us and everything that she had spent the past four years working for, Starfleet, instead of seeking justice, sought an easy answer. Kim was so much more than a victim of poor judgement, and so I stand here to ask again that anyone who may have information about that night come forward.."

Jim flicked his hand over the screen to stop the video, and scrolled further down the page to read the rest of the article. It made sense that they were looking at it now as a potential murder. The second victim less than a month later had been directly connected to the first. Iris Tam. According to several sources they'd been in the same social circle of academy graduates, and it was confirmed that they'd been in contact the night of Kim's murder. At the time, Tam's ex-boyfriend had been bought in as a suspect on the possibility that Kim had simply gotten in between a lovers quarrel. The charges hadn't stuck however, and investigators had settled on the idea that the deaths were close but unrelated.

The next few articles more or less recycled the same set of information, with speculation about the identity of the apparent latest victim in what the feed was already calling the presidio murderers. It was too early to build an official story, and Jim made a note to watch the case over the next few days. He looked down at the time displayed on the screen and begin to gather his things to leave the spot he'd settled into in the library cafe.

On the one hand, he felt disgust at the idea that there was someone going around attacking young officers on campus. There was also however, a sort of morbid fascination that came with this sort of case and made him attracted to the idea of working in the planetary protection agency's violent crime unit. Jim had spent countless hours at some point reading old case files in the old police archives. Serial killers were a rarity, especially in the 23rd century. It made sense then, why investigators had been so hesitant to entertain the idea. This was especially so when, such as the case often was with serial killers, there seemed to be nothing tying the victims together asides from their starfleet backgrounds. 

Most of his morning passed with little further excitement, and he was surprised when one of his professors called out to him as he was heading out of the lecture hall. 

"Mr. Kirk, do you have a moment."

A few other trainees glanced at him as they moved past him in the aisle but he nodded before taking the remaining steps down to meet the older man at the center of the room.

"Professor Koyama" Jim had read some of his profiles prior to enrolling in his course in the academy, and his career  in planetary protection had been  a point of interest and mild hero worship. The now retired lecturer was something of a legend in his field for his work dismantling a Klingon crime syndicate and uncovering a mass bombing plot.

"Yes, Mr. Kirk. I'll make it brief." He was pulling a pile of PADDS into a single stack as he spoke, and he looked up at Jim with a smile. "I heard that you did well on the 264 yesterday evening."

"I did what I could."

"Ha!" Koyama let out a bark of laughter and placed a hand on Jim's shoulder, "No need for modesty. I know got a perfect score, highest in your section in fact. I've been watching you for some time Mr. Kirk."

"Sir?"

"It's not just your skills in the range, you've also excelled overall in the program haven't you Mr. Kirk." He didn't wait for Jim's answer, "I also know you've submitted a preliminary application for the  violent crimes unit, not an easy placement after graduation."

"Yes I understand that sir, but I've never had an interest in what was easy."

Koyama considered this for a minute before letting out another bark of laughter, "Is that so. Well then, how would you be interested in shadowing me. I'm going to be serving as lead consultant on the Presidio case. I figure a trainee in your position might have a lot to learn, and it'd close the deal on your application."

"You don't have to convince me, sir. It'd be an honor." That was an understatement. Jim was already struggling to contain his excitement at the thought that he might get an early start on the rest of his career, he'd be more or less where the action was if he was going to be shadowing Koyama.

"Don't thank me too soon, It's going to be a lot of grunt work for you most of the time. I was allowed to bring you and another trainee on with me on the condition that you'd be serving as a temporary intern for the agency."

Jim would serve coffee for the rest of his life if it meant that he might get to secure an investigator position in the VC unit. "Another trainee?"

Koyama nodded and attempted to gather the stack of PADD's and his suitcase in his arms. Jim crouched down to pick up a PADD that came loose and slid to the floor as a result. They made their way to the top of the stairs and stopped by the exit briefly.

"Yes, you'll have some help in your new duties. Perhaps you know him; Spock?

Jim recognized the name as the one McCoy had attached to the faceless ID number on the 264 scoreboard.

"No, I'm not familiar."

"Ah well, you'll get the chance tomorrow then. I'd like you to report at 1500 hours for an official briefing on the case."

"I'll be there, sir."

Koyama accepted his response and disappeared down the hall, a stack of PADDs with legs.

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

"That's great news, Jim." Bones lifted a glass of thai iced tea in his honor at the news about his position as Koyama's shadow.

They were sitting in a booth at an asian fusion cafe just outside the academy grounds for lunch. It was thankfully not too busy at this time of day due to its somewhat isolated location. They were, as usual, generally alone in the place with the exception of the waiters and an Andorian couple enjoying a lunch special some tables away.

"Yeah, this could really make my application for the VCU stand out."

"That's a big deal. I know a lot of folks who are dyin for that job." McCoy agreed.

"Apparently Spock is one of those people."

"Spock?" Bones set his glass down abruptly in surprise.

"Yeah, he's also going to be shadowing Koyama."

"Yeah? You think a Vulcan would find that line of work unappealing."

"Well, he's a trainee just like the rest of us." Jim remarked.

"S'pose so, but you gotta admit it's a bit strange that a vulcan would be here in the first place."

"I'm sure there's a logical reason for it."

Before they could speculate he was immedietly distracted by the headlines on the news feed playing on the screen at the front of the cafe. Bones turned to watch as well as soon as he realized what it was that had Jim suddenly staring over his shoulder.

"Law enforcement officials have formally identified and released the identity of the latest victim in the presidio murderers: twenty-two year old police academy student, Gary Mitchell. Sources say that police are investigating his death in connection to the recent deaths of two Starfleet graduates...."

Jim stopped listening to the reporters words as he grappled with the new knowledge of the latest victims identity.

"Jim." McCoy didn't say anything, simply stared at him from across their lunch with wide eyes as they both processed the new information.

Gary Mitchell was dead.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to post this yesterday but I fell asleep last night. It might be riddled with typos so I will be editing it later.


	3. tourner

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

Lately, he found himself wandering aimlessly. Made his way to Bakers Beach and back without any memory of leaving. That was often the case. It was the case now; he saw Jim Kirk stepping out the bar and without much thought he was suddenly following closely behind him with no real purporse.

Lately and even now, he was agitated. Even more so when the blond turned and called out to him in the darkness. His friend, so unfamiliar in the dark.

He didn't always recognize his friends. But hadn't he recognized her on every screen since that night? Nothing made sense anymore; he felt lost in his own head. In the direction things had taken, in the way that he never felt alone, even when he was.

He was not so out of it that he wasn't aware of the whispering, the conversations that ended when he entered a room; the laughing.

Even Kirk had laughed, hadn't he? Probably. Behind his back; when he wasn't patronizing him under the guise of friendship.

The thought of it made him hot with anger. He'd practically made that kid. He could remember Kirk then: fresh faced, uncertain, but just as cocky. The older trainees had loved it; the fact that he took himself seriously enough to be bothered by their jabs at him. And he stepped up, told the young cadet so many times when he saw Kirk falter: "Don't worry Jimmy boy, you got it in the bag."

There was no way that he'd ever miss a single shot after that. Not Jimmy.

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

It was a little surreal, that just hours ago the presidio case that had been a distant curiosity for him was suddenly so relevant. Jim glanced down at the PADD he was carrying before making his way up the endless set of steps to the police headquarters. He was fifteen minutes early.

The lobby of the building was a wide enclosure of glass and steel that reminded him of old train terminals. The building was abuzz with the activity of officers and androids escorting civilians through the many turnstiles and tunnels that led into the precinct. Jim made his way across the marble to approach the reception desk.

"I am here to see Lead Consultant Koyama." A somewhat monotone, but not unpleasant voice spoke as he stepped up to the counter.

He stepped forward to surprise the other visitor. "That makes the two of us." He chuckled, and his smirk gradually faded when he was responded to with an indifferent glance.

The young receptionist tapped a few times on his screen and then placed two freshly printed laminated cards on the counter. "Yes, the briefing will start in eight minutes. Room A116." He slid two silver cards towards then and returned to his work without saying another word or looking to see if they were still standing there.

"Uhh..." Jim uttered, feeling a little off balance at the general lack of acknowledgment from the vulcan. "James Kirk." He stuck his hand out for a handshake.

The other trainee turned away from the counter and looked down at the hand in front of him with a scrutinizing expression usually reserved for bacteria. He didn't return the handshake and instead clasped his hands neatly behind his back. "Yes, I am aware."

Of course he was. "I think we're gonna be working together." Jim offered in attempt to break the awkward silence that had grown between them. He let his hand flop back down to his side, rubbing it on his pants leg self consciously before clapping them together. "You are Spock, right?"

Spock's eyes wandered to follow the movement before he gave a curt nod of his head. Jim found himself staring up at the severe looking cut of the other trainees hair when he did it. He hadn't met many vulcans; and by not many, he meant none at all. They weren't common in Starfleet and the only ones he'd even seen on the presidio were diplomats and scientists. This one was just as grim looking as the others he'd seen in passing. He squashed his touristic interest and gestured forwards. "We might as well go inside then."

"Kirk, Spock!" Koyama was making his way towards them the moment they stepped inside. The shorter man had his arms open as he approached them, and he placed both hands on their shoulders lightly and looked between then. "I see you've met; I won't have to go through any formal introductions" It would've helped, Jim thought.

Koyama gestured to the a set of heavy looking glass doors at the end of the room. "You two are a few minutes early, but we can head inside."

The three of them made their way past rows of desks. The briefing room itself was more of a spacious amphitheater. There were a few officers scattered around the room, waiting for the main event. At the center of the circular room there was a massive screen with the planetary protection logo on it and an empty podium. He and Spock took a seat in the second row while Koyama left them in favor of sitting closer to the podium.

"You been to one of these things before?" Stupid question, he thought to himself immediately.

If it was, Spock didn't comment beyond a simple, "No."

Jim drummed his fingers nervously on the seat in front of him until Spock looked over at him with something Jim approximated as an exasperated expression, which was essentially the same blank facial expression he had on before.

It didn't last long, the lights dimmed as the remaining crowd filtered into the seats around them. The police chief, a stern looking but rather tiny woman Jim recognized from the press statement about Iris Tam, took the podium. "Alright people, we've got work to do." The low chatter that had filled the room died down immediately as she turned towards the screen behind her.

The still image on the screen faded away to be replaced by the photo of the three victims. Jim leaned forward as Gary Mitchell stared back at him with a rare smile on his face. The photo was cropped at his shoulder, but Jim remembered standing next to him for the shot. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"Last night as you know, a group of students returning to their dorms discovered the body of their former classmate, Gary Mitchell."

She clicked a button on her podium and the three smiling faces were replaced by photos Jim immediately recognized as the marshy path to the dorms. In addition there was the highly saturated image of a body lying face down in a patch of wet grass. Jim's stomach flipped at the sight of the words "officer candidate" on the victim's back. The slide changed a few times to provide a closer look; the sight of his former friend lying on the steel table of some government morgue. His pale neck was covered with the ugly mottling of an unseen struggle that had taken place that night.

God, Jim thought. What had he really escaped that night? Guilt twisted in his gut.

"Official cause of death was drowning. But by the looks of it, whoever attacked him came at him with their bare hands. Mitchell put up a fight, but the assailant took him down and he suffered from a concussion before being dropped in the water to be washed away along with any full prints or DNA." Not unintentional on the attackers part, Jim would guess.

"Despite this, this incident has given us something we didn't have for certain before."

_A pattern_

Jim quickly made the connection in his mind, whoever the attacker was, it was clear they were avoiding weapons. Either they didn't want anything that could be traced back to them, or they preferred to get up close and personal with his victims. It either made them careful or brutal. Both meant that things were likely to escalate.

Koyama seemed to agree in his preliminary profile; when the professor took the podium it was to offer a precaution. "This ones shy, or lacking in confidence. They're still testing the waters so to say, and there's no doubt that they're probably a member of Starfleet, maybe a fellow student. They're catching their victims off guard. I suggest we do a thorough check of all of the victims friends, family, anyone who could get close enough to hurt them."

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

"You were out on Old Mason that night."

"Sir?"

The chief had said a couple of words before clearing the room. Spock and Jim had been given their official assignment of searching through past missing persons reports for anything that could be deemed suspicious of the report. They were settling into their closet of an office for the duration of their work study when Koyama pulled Jim aside.

"I have to admit there was more than one reason I bought you here this afternoon. Surely you realize how close you are to this."

Jim stiffened, was he a suspect?

"Don't worry, no ones going to be bringing you in." The professor held up a hand in an appeasing gesture. "But during some routine questions some of your classmates mentioned that you left a bar off campus alone that night; you live in the dorms just off Chrissy Field."

Jim swallowed to clear the dryness that had settled in his mouth at Koyama's questions. "Yeah...I was. I did take that path to the dorms last night. But I didn't see anyone." But hadn't he heard someone?

"I see. Did you see anyone that night?"

"Just my roommate."

"Good, the officers working on the case will want to check with him. They'll also want to ask you some questions but I thought I'd check with you first." Koyama smiled and tapped Jim on the shoulder reassuringly before turning away. "I'll see you tomorrow in lecture."

Jim watched the professor leave for a minute before turning back to the slightly ajar door of his temporary office. Spock looked up at him from his desk with an unreadable expression. He already had a stack of PADDs in a neat pile in front of him. The room they were sharing was really little more than a storage closet that had clearly been recently repurposed just for this usage. He guessed it was probably a means of keeping the new interns out of the way. Still, Jim couldn't help but feel some sort of pride swell in his chest at the thought that they were being given a chance to help with the case itself, even if it was just looking through endless paperwork.

He took a seat at his own small desk across from Spock and pointed to the files, "Find anything note-worthy?"

Spock lowered the PADD he'd been reading, "You were dishonest with the Professor." He stated.

"What?" Jim squinted in confusion, "I wasn't." And it wasn't the guys place to eavesdrop anyway.

"You withheld the fact that you shared a close relationship with the deceased.

"I didn't--what? Close relationship?" He sputtered as his brain struggled to formulate a defense to the Vulcan's line of questioning, "He was someone I called a friend at some point. But it's nothing like that."

"Nothing like?" Spock inquired with a small tilt of his head.

"Nothing that would affect the case."

"I see." Spock looked back down at the PADD, and for a moment Jim believed that was the end of it. He was sorting through his own stack of files when Spock spoke up again,

"Do you not consider the possibility that any detail, no matter how insignificant, may be relevant to understanding why Mitchell was a target."

Jim huffed, "Look, I gave all the information I had to the professor. Anything else would be gratuitous; and quite frankly, it's none of your business as far as that conversation was concerned."

He fell silent, turning his rolling chair away from Spock to demonstrate that the topic was no longer up for debate. And honestly, Jim thought; just where did this guy get off accusing Jim of lying.

I mean, it wasn't as if he had anything to do with the murder.

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

LM: _Few of us are heading over to the den at around 1900, u comin?_

_Whose gonna be there?_

LM: _Sulu, Chekov, Uhura and her crew._

_Idk_

_LM: Join us. Ill pick u up on the way._

 

 

 

Jim rubbed his eyes and allowed the PADD in his hand to fall on the table with a loud clatter that penetrated the silence of the small office. He looked over at the small glass opening in the door; the offices on the other side had grown quiet with the passing of the day. Jim guessed that the building was empty with the exception of security and the overnight stays in the precinct, and of course Spock and himself. If the other trainee was bothered by the sudden noise or the fatigue of a day spent reading reports he didn't show it.

The vulcan had barely moved during their time in the room, except to eat what looked to Jim to be an unappetizing dish of multi-colored and blocky vegetables and some kind of blue grain. Jim sighed a bit more loudly and Spock lifted his head.

"It's getting late. I think I'm going to call it a day."

Spock blinked in response.

"Aren't you heading out as well?"

Spock eyes slid back down to the PADD screen.

Jim rolled his eyes and got up to pull the mess on his desk into some semblance of order. This was going to be a long three months interning if it was going to be like this.

He shut the door behind him and left Spock like that; seated at his desk in the dark with a scattering of bright screens in front of him.

 

 

It didn't take long for Bones to meet him as promised. Jim was sitting on one of the many steps leading into the building when the doctor jogged up to him in jeans and a t-shirt.

"Sorry I'm late, only had an about an hour to get back to the room and change." He stopped to catch his breath. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. Well." Jim gestured down at the neat grays he'd worn for his first day on the job, "But let's just get going." He said, clapping his friend on the back.

They were stepping into a shuttle headed off the campus when Bones nudged him lightly on the shoulder. "How you feelin', Jim?"

Ah. He saw what this was about. McCoy's insisting he come out was probably his way of checking on him after the news about Mitchell. He couldn't blame him, the report had certainly caught him off guard, and he knew he'd been quiet during the rest of their lunch yesterday.

He gave his friend an easy smile, "Good. I'm fine."

Bones looked skeptical.

"It's nothing, Bones. I just had a weird day."

The shuttle slowed to stop and they allowed a few passengers to pass them before stepping out. The hatch clicked shut with a hiss behind them and there was a slight breeze as the shuttle continued along its path.

"How's life in the VCU?"

"They've got us going through paperwork. But that's not even the bad part. You know that guy Spock you were telling me about?"

"Yeah, the vulcan?"

"Apparently he's also shadowing Koyama so now I have to share a closet with him for the next three months. The guy's a dick."

Bones chuckled, "I wouldn't take it personally. I think that's just how they are."

"Yeah, yeah, lack of emotions I get that. But I'm pretty sure he hates me."

"Honestly Jim, I doubt that."

"Is superiority an emotion? Cause I'm pretty sure he'd stick his nose up at me if he wasn't so still all the time. It's creepy."

"How _very_ tolerant of you." Jim jumped slightly at the sudden voice behind them and turned around to find Uhura standing behind them. "How long have you been standing there."

"Long enough to question your species sensitivity training. And _you_ want to work in the VCU?" She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head at him in feigned confusion.

Jim shook his head, he wasn't taking the bait. They were standing in front of the likely crowded bar as the sun disappeared steadily into the horizon. "Are we the first ones here. I thought you were bringing some friends?" He asked her.

"I am. They're on their way.

"Who?"

"Gaila..."

He sighed, of course she was coming.

"Janice, and another friend of mine"

"Do I know them?"

"Hey guys, why are we waiting out here." Sulu and Chekov came bounding up to the group.

"Because you're late." Jim joked, then immediately waved it off at the guilty look that flashed over Chekov's face.

Inside the bar was as crowded as he'd expected for a Friday night. They weren't the only trainees there, and they were each individually momentarily tugged away by friends and acquaintances several times before they made it to an empty table in the back.

"Pick your poison." Bones pointed to them and after receiving each of their orders dragged Sulu away to grab drinks at the bar. Uhura was keeping her head above the crowd, her head on a swivel as she kept an eye out for other guests. Jim received a mouthful of glossy black hair several times before she jumped up in excitement. Gaila and a vaguely familiar blond sporting an elaborate updo emerged from the crowd. They both hugged and pecked their friend on the cheek before squeezing into the booth with Jim and Chekov.

"Gaila." He offered meekly, waving at her tentatively from across the booth.  
She smiled in response despite his attempts to avoid eye contact. Things had been a bit awkward between them, something he didn't think went unnoticed among the rest of the group as they both danced around the proverbial elephant in the room.

He felt bad, guilty really. They'd been sort of dating the past year. It had mostly consisted of Jim making late night treks to her and Uhura's dorm to hook up and her dragging him to social outings. He'd taken it lightly; certainly clubbing and night calls couldn't be the basis for a relationship? Apparently she'd thought so, and one night during Uhura's lab they'd went back to her room and were having a good time when suddenly,

_"Jim, I think I love you."_

_"That's so weird."_

He had to admit, it wasn't the most eloquent response he could've conjured while in bed with someone. Uhura had interrupted shortly after, but there was no denying the hurt in the orion's eyes as her friend shoved him out the door. He'd apologized afterwards, through a text, but either way the damage was done.

An alarmingly orange alcoholic beverage was placed down in front of him and the awkward silence that had settled over the table fizzled away as the doctor returned with their drinks.

"What's this?" Jim asked, pointing to the glass that was currently overflowing with a cold but purple gas similar to dry ice.

Bones shrugged, smiling as he threw back a shot glass of clear liquid, "You said you wanted a surprise.

He grimaced slightly, but lowered his mouth to the tall glass to take a sip and found that the smoke had a pleasant, citrus smell to it that complimented the taste of the drink. Mango? Either way he liked it and he quickly gulped down another mouthful.

"Jim, you might wanna slow down..."

Chekov and Janice hit it off fast, and they were both excitedly exchanging details of their work. Janice was apparently working as an intern in the transportation office and they had begun a debate about urban planning on the planetary level. Sulu and Uhura, Bones and Gaila slipped into easy conversation at the table and Jim found it hard to follow any specific topic as time wore on. Despite Bones efforts to keep him involved, the back and forth between him and Gaila was stilted at best and eventually he resigned himself to simply enjoy his drink and allow the music being played in the bar and the chatter of its patrons to wash over him.

At some point, everyone but Chekov and Janice got up to dance and Jim found himself alone in the booth with the younger pair, still heavily involved in their conversation.

He placed his empty and no longer smoking glass down with a low thud, "I'm gonna find the restroom." He explained, but they didn't seem to notice when he slid out of the booth.

He had his head down as he maneuvered his way around dancers and a groups of starfleet officers laughing over the same unheard joke Keeping his eyes glued to the glossy black floors of the bar, he blindly followed a path towards the bathroom he noticed when he entered. When he finally found the flashing light of the neon sign for the restrooms, he nearly collapsed at the sight of a long line by the open door.

Resigning himself to wait, he sighed and got in line behind three caitians who were busily typing away on their PADDs as they waited.

He didn't see when Gaila came up behind him, and was almost startled for the second time of the evening when the orion peeked around his shoulder to whisper, "Hey."

"Hey.." He glanced over his shoulder but didnt turn around, hoping that the line would move forward quickly. No such luck,

"It's been a while."

"Has it?" Who was he kidding, really?

"Yeah." She laughed humorlessly, "I tried to reach you."

"Did you?" Maybe if he played dumb she'd get frustrated and cut the conversation short

"C'mon K, quit treating me like I'm crazy here."

Jim sighed, and turned to face her, "You're not crazy."

"So.." She looked down at her feet before fixing him with the most serious expression he'd ever seen on her usually happy face. In the stark blue lighting of the hallway leading to the restroom, she looked pale even for an orion. He felt another pang of guilt at the thought that he'd contributed to it. She was chewing on her lower lip and disturbing her fresh looking orange lipstick. A habit that made him want to reach out and wipe the corner of her mouth.

"Why didn't you ever respond when I messaged you? You sent me that apology."

He scratched the back of his head and fished for an excuse he knew was half baked before it even left his mouth, "You know, been busy."

"You've been busy." She deadpanned skeptically, "You've been avoiding me."

A annoyed looking andorian stuck his head over Gaila's shoulder and they rushed to fill the gap that had formed in the line during their conversation.

"I'm right aren't I? It's okay. You needed space."

Why was she the one making excuses for him? "It still wasn't right, I totally bailed."

"Yeah you did." She agreed quickly, then added a little softly, "You didn't have to you know. I mean sure I was upset at first but...I would've been fine if things had stayed the way they were."

The bathroom door swung open and he stepped inside quicky, both to use the urinal and give himself time to find an answer for her. He was surprised to feel slender yet strong hands pushing him in the direction of the stall that had opened up instead. "Gaila?" The stall clicked shut behind them, and even through the thick odor of the multi-use stalls, he could make out the smell of the shampoo she was wearing from how close she was standing.

He felt her forehead come to a rest on his back and allowed her to wrap her arms around his torso in something of a hug. There was silence that was only disturbed by the sounds of users in the stalls and the rushing of sonic cleaners as green arms tightened around him. "I miss you, K." She got on her tiptoes to rest her chin on his shoulder, "Come visit me tonight, okay?"

He didn't answer, simply turning his head slightly when she pecked him on the cheek and stepped back to let herself out. He waited for the sound of her heeled boots on the linoleum to fade before quickly finishing up in the bathroom. The andorian from before smiled at him knowingly as he passed him at the door.

It was something to think about. Jim knew he definitely not ready to jump back into whatever Gaila thought this was, but he'd be lying if he didn't say he ached at the promise of her offer. It had been awhile, and he was a young man he rationalized. He shook his head and the thought away; no, it wasn't a good idea. But maybe...?

He didn't think it possible, but the bar had gotten more crowded in the time it'd taken him to get into the restroom. He squeezed between two aliens to wave down the bartender. May as well drown himself in a bottle if that was the only comfort he was gonna get tonight.

He was only a little creeped out at the way the bartender twisted his (their?) head in its socket to fix large insect like eyes on him. Their many appendages were busy at work as they mixed several drinks while keeping their head on a literal swivel simultaneously.

"Two shots of blood wine and another purple sunset, please."

They clicked their mandibles in response and had the drink bubbling in front of him in a matter of minutes. He threw back shots in single gulps and set about maneuvering through the crowd and back to his seat, holding his glass above the gyrating crowd.

Why he'd let Bones convince him into coming only to abandon him, he wasn't sure. He could make out the teal leather of the booth through the gaps of the crowd, and breathed a sigh of a relief over the fact that he could finally sip his drink in comfort until Bones was ready to leave.

If he still had a drink that was. He opened his mouth in a silent groan as the cold liquid seeped into his otherwise spotless uniform after being upturned by a solid obstacle in front of him. "Oh come on!" He immediately moved to disrobe, barely glancing up at the person he'd crashed into.

"Ayy." He heard faintly, Chekov expressing sympathy at the stickiness he'd have to walk home in.

"I apologize, I was in your way."

He froze and lifted his head, ceasing the frantic shaking he was employing as a way of getting some of the alcohol off his of jacket. What the hell was he doing here?

Spock _coolly_ lifted a pale hand to wipe a minuscule drop off of his cheek. If Jim had the patience, he'd turn around and order another drink to dump it on the Vulcan's head, just to see him bothered.

"Yeah you were." He scowled, shoving past the other man to reach for some napkins on the table. The group had returned to the booth, and there were a few people he didn't recognize standing by as he waved to get Bones attention. His friend finally tore his eyes away from whatever amazing conversation he was having with Uhura and another dark haired woman.

"Yeah?" He answered, glancing back at the woman a few times before focusing his attention on Jim.

"I'm heading out." The neo-jazz had been drowned out at some point to be replaced by some kind obnoxious electronic music, and he read the confusion on Bones face as he struggled to hear.

"I'm going to head out!" He echoed, pointing back towards the exit. Bones made the sudden move to follow him and Jim held out a hand to stop the doctor. "It's okay, you enjoy yourself." He was ready to go already, and the blood wine in addition to whatever was in the sunset was starting to kick in. His head was starting to spin, the music wasn't helping and neither was the drink drying in his lap.

Bones hesitated, "Are you going to walk home?" The obvious statement was there in the uncertain expression on his face; it was a weird time to be taking a midnight stroll on the Presidio.

"I'll take the shuttle back to the office and walk from there." It was still a long walk but at least he'd be avoiding the marshes. Besides, he was trained to defend himself.

"Maybe I should just go with you--"

"Perhaps we can make the walk back to the dorms together, I am also departing for the night." Jim immediately considered rejecting Spock's offer, but then thought of Bones. The man seemed like he was genuinely having a good time and it wasn't fair for him to have to cut it short. If it would put his friend at ease,

"See? I'll be fine. Stay."

Uhura looked up from the whispered conversation she was having from behind a cocktail glass with a surprised expression, "Spock, you're leaving so soon?"

Her other friend. Of course.

Jim made sure to throw her a dirty look that prompted her to smile and bat her long lashes at him innocently. He bid a good night to others and headed for the exit, not waiting for Spock to finish saying his goodbye to Uhura.

Outside there was a scattering of spillover from the bar, a group of Klingons engaged in a heated debate that had probably gotten them kicked out, and a couple smoking something that smelled strongly of lavender by the mouth of an alley. Not shady at all.

Hadn't Bones said that Spock didn't talk to anyone? It was hard to imagine him coming out to party purely out of interest in his classmates. Then again Uhura was intelligent, stunning; it made sense, her taste in men aside.

"I am ready to depart." Spock appeared behind him. Even though he was wearing essentially the same clothes as Jim, he looked distinctly out of place standing in front of the bar.

"About time." The blond snapped impatiently. "Let's go then." Throwing his jacket over his shoulder he started a brisk walk towards the campus.

Spock lagged just a few steps behind, and soon they were leaving the busier main roads for the quiet paths of the Presidio grounds.

This felt weird; he knew that Spock probably had a dorm not too far from his own but he couldn't shake the embarrassing sense that he was being escorted. "So, you're friends with Uhura." He asked, attempting to break the awkward silence.

"Nyota and I share a very similar course schedule." Spock stated. It didn't exactly answer his question, but it did tell him that the two were on a first name basis.

"You share courses with Bones." It wasn't a question. They all had similar classes; in fact Jim was surprised he never noticed the vulcan at any point during the past three years.

"...Bones?"

"It's nothing." Jim answered. A silence settled between them once more, the only sounds on the empty path being the click of their dress shoes as they walked. When the silence was broken again, this time it was Spock who spoke,

"Are you and Nyota close?"

Jim's came to an abrupt stop and almost tipped over in the process,  
"What, you think I'm fucking her too?" Where had that come from?

Spock didn't reply, and for a second Jim thought that the vulcan had turned around and left him.

"Kirk, I must apologize if I overstepped earlier this evening when I questioned you about Gary Mitchell."

The disruption of the quick pace he'd maintained since they left the bar allowed Spock to fall into step next to him. He looked up at the Vulcan, feeling a sudden pang of guilt at the way he'd acted towards him the entire night "It's alright...that was rude and uncalled for. I'm sorry."

Spock nodded in acknowledgment.

"Sorry for earlier too, it wouldn't do us any good to be on bad terms; we're gonna be stuck together for next few months."

"My thoughts precisely."

Jim chuckled, "Here I was thinking that you just hated my guts."

"Hate is a human sentiment."

"How lucky for me." He slurred.

"We are after all, newly acquainted." Spock explained further.

They reached Jim's dorm building, and he found himself reaching out to grab at the nearest wall.

"Do you require assistance?"

"Nah." He could manage the stumble up to his room; he wasn't that pathetic. He stuck his hand out for a handshake; a truce, "See you in the morning?"

Spock stared down at his hand, the same hesitation from their earlier encounter written on his face. But this time he let go of the other hand he was grasping behind his back and gripped Jim's outstretched hand tightly. A tad too tightly.

He moved to pull away and found the Spock's grip was unyielding. He consequently had to grab at the other man's elbow in an attempt to save himself from face planting when he was jerked forward. When he looked up in confusion he was alarmed by the intense expression on the vulcan's usually blank face.

"Uh..?"

That sound must've bought him back because Spock quickly dropped his hand and took a step back. "Good night, James Kirk." He said in a stilted voice.

Jim gave a little wave as the vulcan continued down the stretch of buildings to his own dorm. _That was weird._ He didn't have time to dwell on it because shortly after his world turned fuzzy around the edges and a wave of nausea threatened to bring his lunch back up. He practically fell through the door of the building in his attempt to make a bee-line for the elevator. Blood wine and cocktails? He'd be paying for that in the morning.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's definitely been more than two weeks for this update but I've been busy with the start of school. Hopefully will be posting chapters more frequently in the future, but when I don't, expect that the next update will be long.


	4. regarder

 

 

 

Sleep that night came and went at a price. In the dark, Jim's dreams were disjointed clouds of dubious memories that suffocated him.

He dreamt of Gary Mitchell; of being locked away in some dark corner for crimes he didn't commit.

Strangely enough, of Gaila smiling up at him in bed.

He woke up with a start and had to stumble to the bathroom he shared with Bones to avoid retching over the side of his bed. In the morning, he would only have a foggy memory of the doctor's presence and the concerned expression on the man's face before he climbed back into bed.

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

_James._

_Jim_ _**.** _

" _ **Jim**_." Bones was shaking him. He sat up abruptly and almost knocked his head against his friend's in the process.

"Wha?" He answered eloquently.

"Wake up. I know it's a Saturday but d'ya plan to sleep all day?" Bones turned and disappeared from the room, his voice floating over from the living area of their small dorm.

"I thought we could grab something to eat before my shift this afternoon."

All day? Jim searched for his PADD underneath his twisted comforter and checked the time.

1300\. All day.

He threw the covers off his legs and cringed as his bare feet made contact with cold wooden floorboards. He shivered and rubbed his hands over his arms as goosebumps broke out over his skin.

"It's god damn cold in here, Bones."

Despite this he stripped down in order to jump into the shower, throwing his boxers from the night before into some distant corner of his room. He cupped his hand over his mouth to yawn and recoiled at the putrid combination of alcohol vomit and morning breath. Yuck.

Once he had washed away any residual stickiness from the purple sunset and spent a considerable time gargling, he stepped out to find Bones in the kitchen, reading his PADD intently at the counter.

He made a noise and Bones quickly shut off the screen and looked up sheepishly. "You ready?"

"Yeah? What you readin'?" Jim approached him casually, and when the other man swiveled on the kitchen stool to face him he snuck his hand around Bones to snatch the PADD off the counter. By the time Bones was grabbing for it Jim was already running across the room, cackling.

"Damnit Jim! That's private."

"Well well, who do we have here." The last window open on the screen was a communication between Bones and someone simply labeled "Dax."

Bones had crossed the gap between them and was attempting to grab at the PADD. Jim pushed him with one arm, pivoting his body on one leg to keep the device out of his friend's reach.

"Dax. Is that the one who you were chatting with yesterday?"

"C'mon Jim, it's none of your business."

"Ho ho! It is!" He swiped the hand a hand over the screen, keeping the doctor at bay with his elbow as a photo scrolled up the private message window. The dark haired woman Jim recognized from the bar, in the photo it was clear she was a trill. There was a peppering of spots on her otherwise flawless skin that continued down to her bare shoulders and further down... Bones pulled the screen out of Jim's hand before anymore of the photo could slide into view.

"That photo has only one recipient Jim, and it's not you!"

Jim laughed, throwing his hands up in acquiescence. "Alright alright, excuse me." To be honest, he was just happy to know that his friend was getting back out there. He knew that when the doctor had enrolled in the academy it was a way of throwing himself into different work after a rough divorce. But Bones was still young. He worked hard, he deserved this. "She a doctor at the clinic?"

Bones scowled, but there was a smile tugging the corner of his mouth when he answered, "No, she came in for an appointment.."

"A physical?" Jim teased, Bones fixed him with a deadpan expression. "Is that why she thinks your hands are so warm?"

Bones snorted, shaking his head;  
"I'm never going to hear the end of this am I?"

"Wouldn't count on it." He moved to their small replicator unit, "Raktajino, hot." There was a beep as the machine started up and he waited for the mug of coffee to materialize. "So, did you put those warm hands to work last night?" He lifted the mug to his mouth and wiggled his eyebrows.

"It was nothing like that," Bones rolled his eyes and took a step forward, pulling the mug out from under Jim's lips before he could take a sip. He shrugged at the exasperation on the blond's face when he began to sip at the hot drink instead. "Like I said, we talked and had drinks. Nothing more."

Jim turned to put in another order in the replicator.

"You had a lot more last night on the other hand."

Jim shot up from his bent over position in front of the unit, "What?'

"Last night, I found you huggin' the toilet. How much did you drink after I left you?"

"Thanks for that by the way, leaving me."

Bones threw his hands up apologetically.

"And not a lot. I did have some blood wine after the drink you got me."

"It must've been the blood wine then."

"Klingons make a mean booze."

"Ain't that the truth. How was your midnight stroll with our green friend? You looked ready to strangle him when you left."

Jim didn't ask about the green comment as he swallowed down the last bit of hot coffee in his mug and pulled on a light jacket for the walk. "You know, actually not that bad." He tilted his head in thought, zipping his jacket to the very top and then gradually lower before settling on leaving it open. "We got off on the wrong foot, but I think it'll work."

"Told'ya you were exaggerating. Besides, it was nice of him to escort you home."

"I didn't need an escort, I'm a grown ass man!" Jim argued as they gathered their things.

Minutes later Jim swiped his dorm key over the sensor to lock the door behind them as they were leaving. Bones still had the replicated mug up to his lips when they took the elevator down to the lobby of the building.

He smiled at the sound of a familiar accent as they stepped out into the sparsely occupied first floor living area. Chekov and Sulu; the two friends were engaged in an apparently consuming VR game.

"I'm surprised you guys are up, didn't party hard enough last night?"

Sulu pushed up the clear VR glasses to look up at him. "Trust me I did, but the red peril here always has me up at ungodly hours." He waved, and Jim turned his head to see Bones lifting his mug in acknowledgement over by the exit.

"Well I'll catch you later Sulu." He waved a hand vaguely in Chekov's direction, the young cadet was still completely involved in whatever game was being projected in front of him. Jim chuckled when he caught Chekov swinging and almost crashing into Sulu as he was stepping out of the building.

 

 

 

The day passed with all the expected laziness of a Saturday. After lunch in the academy cafe, he walked Bones over to the clinic outside of campus and loitered in the doctor's office until his friend was chasing him out with a hypo. He found himself wandering without any plans for the rest of the day. He supposed that he could take the opportunity to get ahead on some work for his courses, but that was unrealistic.

Instead he found himself taking a path back to the police headquarters. The building was considerably empty on weekdays. Units had probably been dispatched or were taking the day off altogether. He passed a large office on his way to his closet and made eye contact with the chief. She was talking quietly, on call most likely. They made eye contact and her eyes followed him through the clear glass as he passed. Clear, so she could watch her officers at all times in the day? He wondered.

The door to his temporary office was cracked when he reached the end of the large corridor. He supposed that he wasn't the only one who didn't have anything better to do on a Saturday. That wasn't ever the case when he was with Gaila, a small voice added in his head.

"Come here often?"

Spock was typing away on his PADD screen; the vulcan stopped and looked up at the sound of Jim's voice. "This is the second time."

"No I know, it was just a little joke."

Spock nodded, but something told Jim that he didn't get it.

"So what brings you here? It's our day off."

"I could ask the same question of you." Ever formal.

Jim chuckled, "I guess I was just bored?"

The vulcan seemed to consider this for a moment, "I see. I find this working environment enables me to concentrate longer on tasks."

"Why not just head to the library cafe or a study hall."

"In the past I have found my peers...distracting."

"Oh." He hesitated to ask in what way. He was probably distracting Spock right now.

A knock on their door grabbed their attention. It swung open before Jim could take a step towards the doorknob and the chief's face popped into view.

"Kirk?" She stepped through the entryway, peering over at Spock.

"I don't think I've been formally introduced to either of you. Funny since you'll both be working directly under me for the time being." She glanced down at an old fashioned watch on her wrist. "Listen, I keep a tight schedule so I'll have to make this fast."

"Ma'am?"

"Chief will do. Step into my office for a second." She began to turn but stopped to address Spock, "Not you, Kirk will brief you."

He felt a little confused as he followed the small woman into the office he'd passed earlier. She stopped at the entryway to turn a dial on the wall and the glass shifted to become opaque so that the view of the spacious office was suddenly hidden.

"Sit down." She slid into her chair and picked up a discarded stylus on her desk to jot something down on her PADD.

He felt anxious as she quietly attended to her business, shifting nervously in his seat and letting his eyes wander from the gray streaks in her otherwise jet black hair, to the three clocks on the wall behind her, before finally landing on the plaque in front of her.

 _Commander_ _Igwe_

She had served in Starfleet at some point; he wondered what had caused her to pass up command for a position in planetary protection.

"I was grounded because I was injured in the field." She provided, as if reading his mind.

"Ma'am---Chief?" He corrected.

She leaned forward to pick up the gold plaque, "My command title. It's something of an honororary title at this point." She turned over the length of metal in her hand, "I didn't have much of an interest in holding a desk job at Starfleet HQ, and I'm not cleared to break orbit anymore, so..."

She pushed back her chair to pull open a drawer under her desk and tossed the plaque inside, "But we're not here to discuss my career change."

She seemed fit for duty from what he could see, but there was no way of telling for certain, and he didn't think she would appreciate him prying any further.

"I'm sorry Chief, but what exactly are we here to discuss?" He asked tentatively.

She stopped to pull her hair into a tight ponytail and stood up to approach him, leaning on the desk as she faced him. "Since you're here we may as well discuss this now." She crossed her arms and seemed to hesitate before continuing, "Koyama informed you that you would be subject to some questioning about the Mitchell case."

"Yes, but he also asked me about that night and I already told him..."

"Whatever you told him, he was wrong to bring you on to help with this case when there's a clear conflict of interest. You are a suspect, Kirk."

"Sorry? I was under the impression that I wasn't going to be bought in?"

"You won't be, out of my respect for Koyama's judgement. But until you've been completely cleared there's no way you'll be working on this case with him."

Jim resisted the urge to sink into his seat. He'd been so excited about getting to shadow Koyama he'd allowed himself to ignore the fact that his friend, former or not, had in fact been murdered in cold blood.

"I understand you were friends with Mitchell, so I'm sure you understand why we have to be thorough and careful about this. We can't afford to make anymore bad judgement calls in front of the public and Mitchell's parents are already speaking with the press."

"Yes...I understand."

"I was going to discuss this with you on Monday but since you're here, you should know that your internship opportunity won't be wasted. There's a conflict of interest, but I've also read your VCU application and I agree with Koyama that you'd be an excellent candidate post-graduation."

"Thank you, Chief."

"Don't thank me yet." She moved to sit back at her desk and pushed a PADD towards him. "I'll be moving you to another case. You'll be serving as a deputy in training on Officer Richard's case. Read up on it. You're due in the field Monday morning actually."

He tugged the device towards his side of the desk and swiped through it a few times. The dates on the case files went back almost ten years from what he could see.

"Chief, what about Spock?"

She was already refocused on whatever was on the sleek console screen in front of her. She didn't glance up. "Take him with you."

It seemed dismissive to say the least, but she didnt seem open to answering anymore questions, so he gathered the PADD in his arms and left the brightly lit office.

He made the short walk back to his office and found Spock staring at the door in what Jim guessed was anticipation.

"So, I'm not sure but I think I just cost us the case."

Spock leaned back in his chair, unrelaxed and waiting for an explanation.

"Conflict of interest means I can't work on this case. Please don't say you told me so."

'I have no intention of saying such a thing."

"Yeah, but you have every right. Especially when it means it'll cost us both an opportunity to work with Koyama. We're being pushed to some narcotics case. I should've just been up front."

"I see. While it is regrettable that we will not gain the valuable experience from working on the Presidio case with the Professor, I find it unlikely that your honesty would have made a difference in the Chief's decision. As a suspect in the case it would hardly be appropriate for you to work with Koyama to find the culprit."

"I guess so." The words were somewhat comforting from Spock, still he felt a little guilty. "You know maybe you could reach out to Koyama. It's not fair that you should be punished."

"No." Spock answered, "I suspect that as the only viable post-graduate candidates for the VCU, in the case that we are both accepted, we will be given little choice in working together in the future."

"Well try not to sound too happy about it" He said jokingly.

"I am neither happy or otherwise about "it", it is the reality"

Jim had the same suspicion, if Koyama's hints were anything to go by. As far as he was aware, they were the only applicants put forward as actual candidates. It wasn't a done deal, but he was probably looking at his partner in the field for the foreseeable future.

"Anyway, apparently we've got to get right on it first thing Monday morning." He lifted the PADD the chief had given him, "I'll send over a copy of the case files." He swiped a few times over the screen of the outdated PADD and forwarded it to Spock's and his own personal devices. Seconds later there was the familiar ping of a notification from both of their PADDs as hundreds of pages were sent through.

Jim dropped himself into the chair behind his desk and pulled the vibrating PADD towards him. He tapped the familiar blue and flickering icon on the top right of the screen for the case file and frowned. The video player on his device was launched instead of the case files. Had there been a video along with the documents? A recording of some old crime scene?

He watched the dark screen for several seconds, ready to assume that it had just been a broken file that had found its way into the data. But at the 0:10 mark a unclear image appeared. He squinted, trying to make out the dark sillhouettes that were dancing across the screen. Suddenly the camera was unobstructed and he was watching a pair of shoes move in front of the camera, presumably it was positioned on the ground. There was no sound, just the shaky image of gray boots standing in front of the camera for a few seconds before the pair of feet were moving again. The video was cut short abruptly as they moved out of the line of sight of the camera.

Weird. He resigned himself not to think too hard About it, but when he moved a finger across the screen to delete the file he found himself hesitating. There was something he couldn't put his finger on that was bothering him. He hit the replay button and watched the shoes move across the camera several times before saving the file and opening up the case files instead.

 

 

 

"So what do you say, you wanna get out of here?"

Spock looked up at him with a slightly raised brow, the vulcan had been hyperfocused on the documents on his screen the second they came through.

"I know you've been in here probably all morning. It's not like we've got to read through the missing persons files anymore for Koyama." Jim gestured down to his device, "We may as well get back to all this on Monday."

"May as well?" Spock repeated in questioning, but he placed his PADD down and allowed the screen to fade to black. "What do you propose?"

"You hungry?"

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

He'd concluded that James Kirk was slightly erratic at best, deceptive at the very least. That was the only way he could reconcile the cadet profile he'd read with the person he'd met in person.

Intelligent, without a doubt. A high aptitude that spoke of a level of deductive skills that had probably made him an attractive candidate for the VCU.

Spock had little doubt on whether or not Koyama would put him forward as a candidate. He'd been working closely with the professor for approximately eight months at the top of his class. However he'd definitely noticed the other cadet; the other number on the charts that mirrored his own scores on every course they shared. He never knew the face that came with it, nor had he been particularly interested in finding out. His unknown adversary.

His fathers people were not competitive by nature. But he'd never failed to scan the list every single time; searching and curious only to have it confirmed every time. So much so that it had become a habit. It was with the same curiousity and high expectations that'd he'd greeted the other cadet with on the first day of their internship. When Koyama informed him that someone else would be shadowing along with him, he expected someone else. Pavel Chekov perhaps, the young cadet with a reputation for being something of a prodigy. Or even his friend Hikaru Sulu. A quick look into their cadet file told him they had higher, less violence oriented aspirations.

What he hadn't anticipated was James Kirk.

The same James Kirk that Nyota had described to him as a cocky native with more interest in pursuing entertainment then academics. He'd accepted her assessment on the basis of the few indirect interactions he'd had with the student, perhaps too readily. But, judging by the direction things were quickly taking and the cadet's unexpectedly friendly behavior towards him, there was at least some truth to the rumors. He'd wait and see to confirm his suspicions.

"Something wrong?" The man in question spoke up and pulled Spock away from his long train of thought.

"No." He'd followed James to a brightly decorated establishment a few blocks away from the bar he'd attended on Nyota's request the night prior. For a moment he was under the impression that the cadet was dragging him off to the same bar from the night before. That would've proved far too predictable.

"I hope you like cheeseburgers, I didn't know what you'd want."

He stared down at the tray that was being pushed towards him minutes later.

"Don't worry it's not real meat or anything."

Satisfied with his assurance, Spock reached for a set of utinsels from the disposal in their booth.

"Uhh..."

"Yes?"

"Nevermind."

They fell into a companiable silence as they ate, both choosing to focus on the food in front of them. It was James who broke the silence again this time.

"Y'know, I was thinking it'd probably be a good idea to get to know one another."

"You believe that establishing a personal relationship would somehow correspond with an improvement to our professional relationship." Spock crossed the plastic cultery on his empty plate. He'd found the meal satisfactory.

"Well, when you put it that way." James chuckled, "I guess part of it is just me being curious."

Ah yes. He'd encountered this curiosity before. It was uncommon for vulcans to enroll in the police academy. As a result, Spock found hismelf the frequent subject of speculation and gossip amongst his peers and on some ocassions the administrators. The worst of it all however, were the sort of offers he got from people interested in a casual encounter with something they'd deemed exotic.

"I see. Then I must inform you that you have come to the wrong conclusion."

Jim lowered the french fries he'd been raising towards his mouth slowly, "How so?"

"Our professional relationship is just that, a professional one. And I believe that there is neither the need nor the desire to pursue anything further than that. I have no desire to satisfy your passing curiosity."

James's mouth was pulled into a thin line that spoke of irritation. When he responded, his voice lacked any of the usual friendliness from seconds ago. It was the same tone he'd used at the bar the night before and then on the path when they were returning to the dorms.

"Passing curiosity, wow. Is that what you think? You know I was just getting used to the idea that you probably weren't an asshole."

Spock resisted the urge to sigh. "Whatever emotional response you are having right now is irrelevant. I was merely stating that our working relationship does not guarantee anything beyond that."

James scoffed, he seemed to have lost his appetite, Spock noticed. The cadet tossed the potato slices down rather petulantly and pushed the tray away from his side of the table.  
"You got that right. But fine. If that's how you want to play it, it's alright with me."

Judging by the annoyance written on the blonds face, Spock doubted that was the case.

"I should've known better, there must've been some reason you keep your distance from nearly everyone."

Spock raised a brow, "And what might that be, according to you?"

"Frankly it doesn't matter to me what kind of superiority complex you're working with. We can keep it professional if you like, _Mr. Spock."_

The human punctuated the end of his sentence by pulling himself out if the booth. He didn't say goodbye before leaving Spock at the empty table and pushing the door on his way out so hard the bell chime attached to the hinges rang loudly through the cafe. A few other patrons looked on, staring unabashedly at Spock.

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

By the time Jim was swiping his key card for his dorms, he'd at least calmed down a considerable amount. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He didn't think that he was someone who was easily offended but everytime that smug Vulcan opened his mouth and made some backhanded observation about how Jim was lesser in some way he found his blood boiling.

He didn't understand the man, on the one hand he had seemed kind enough to him last night, but today at the cafe he'd reverted to the same aloof coldness he'd been the first time they'd met. Jim sighed and tapped the wall so that the dark living room was gradually filled with ambient lighting. The door clicked shut softly behind him. Maybe he was projecting onto the other cadet a bit, Spock wasn't capable of feeling any way or another towards him.

Either way he was more than offended, there wasn't a doubt in his mind as to what Spock had been suggesting about him. That there was some kind of ulterior motive behind his interest in getting to know his partner better. He just couldn't believe that those kind of rumors had even dug its way into the Vulcan's ear.

He wasn't like that, he insisted to himself. Sure he'd racked up a reputation for his predilections towards short term encounters but it didn't mean he was lacking any sort of self respect. His interest in Spock wasn't even like that.

Mostly. He would've been lying to himself it he said he hadn't noticed the Vulcan in that way. Even under the stiff academy uniform his physique was noticeable. Lean, and probably muscular in all the right ways. The kind of pale that looked good in a dark uniform, and his eyes...

Jim shook his head, where the hell was his mind taking him? It was ridiculous, how quickly he was developing a sexual interest in someone he'd known for barely two days. Maybe Spock was justified in his suggestions. Or he was really just that shameless he thought bitterly.

He dismissed the thought and stripped down in the empty living room to head for the shower. It was still relatively early, but he was in no mood to head back out and take the risk that he'd run into Spock again around campus. He'd stay in for the night, maybe hit up Chekov for a game of strategima later. A hot shower would be a welcome source of relaxation at the very least.

As he stood there under the soothing jets of water however, his mind drifted again. This time to warm green skin, yielding against his pushing. He hissed when after a few meagre seconds of resistence he found himself reaching a hand down to grip himself tightly. Shit, why was he doing this to himself. He'd found himself in this position far too frequently lately. Unswayed by the pathetic nature of what he was doing, he rocked his hips slowly and pushed himself into the just right grip of his open fist. He fell into the rhythm of his movements easily, not faltering when the green skin in his imagination paled and familiar blue eyes became dark and intense.

That was why, embarrassingly enough, he spilled abruptly over his fingers at the sound of a loud creek of someone's approach behind him. He made a quick note to analyze his response to being caught later.

Jim turned and groaned at the realization that he'd left the door open. "Fuck", had he just given his roommate a show? Mortified, he quickly rinsed himself off and shut the water off, nearly tripping over the small ledge of the stall platform as he scrambled to throw a towel over himself. He dried himself off hastily and pulled the towel tightly around his waist, glad that at least he'd finished the job and wouldn't have to deal with anymore awkwardness that he'd already created. He left a trail of wet footsteps on the wood floor in his rush to make it to the living room.

"In my defense I thought you'd be at the clinic all night."

His words rang out in the suprisingly empty room. "Bones?"

No, he'd definitely heard footsteps, he couldn't have imagined it.

Jim moved to push the door to the doctors bedroom and tapped the wall for the light. The doctors room was empty, bed neatly made with a few books stacked on the otherwise undisturbed sheets. He hadn't returned since their late breakfast.

Jim frowned; the shower had been running, maybe he was mistaken. He shut the light in Bones room and took a few steps towards the adjacent door to his own modest bedroom, stopping short when something caught his eyes. The door leading out onto their floor.

He moved slowly towards it, reaching hesitantly for the handle and at the very last second turned his palm upwards to give it a small push.

The door swung open and he took a step into the quiet hallway. The three other suites on their floor had been vacant since the start of the semester, so he wasn't expecting to find anyone.

He was struck with an uneasy feeling as he turned to head back into the apartment and realized that the door had shut behind him and he didn't have his key card. Frustrated, he jangled the handle in vain.

"Fuck."

Fuck, because he was locked outside his room in a towel.

And fuck, because he knew he'd shut the door on the way in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So theres a rather obscure DS9 reference in there. Maybe someone will catch it.


	5. commencement

"Why are you naked?" Sulu squinted in confusion at Jim from his doorway.

Once he'd mustered up the courage to do so, Jim had streaked through his floor and down the stairs to the third floor in a towel. He knew it wasn't doing much in terms of coverage by the way the sparse crowd of students in the common area broke into into giddy whoops and wolf whistles when Jim went rushing past them, but it was better than streaking.

"Oh thank god you're here Sulu." He was walking into the apartment before the other man could invite him in. "Is is alright if I wait in here for Bones."

"Uh...sure?" The other answered student answered uncertainly.

"I stepped out of my room and the door locked behind me."

"That still doesn't really explain why you left your room naked..."

Jim wandered into their kitchen; the layout of their room was roughly the same as his and Bones own, with a small kitchenette right off of the living room that faced the entryway.

"Where's Chekov?" He bent over to order something at the small dormitory issue replicator.

"Before you do that, let me lend you some clothes.  _Please._ "

Jim stood in the empty room for a few minutes, feeling stupid and imposing all of a sudden, until the other cadet returned with a pair of sweats and an old t-shirt. It bore the logo of what he could only guess was the brand of an off world manufacturer. The alien letters weren't familiar.

"See if this will fit you. I think it might be tight."

"Are you calling me fat?"

Sulu grinned and shrugged non-committally.

It was tight, but not uncomfortably so. The tshirt was snug enough on him, and once he'd finished pulling the sweatpants on he looked up at the other man sheepishly.

"I'm...not wearing underwear."

"Keep them."

\---

_SOS_

LM:  _Sulu? everything ok?_

_its Jim. I locked myself out._

_LM: Good._

 

 

_\---_

 

 

"I thought Chekov would be here? No strategima tonight?"

"He went out, we're not always together you know."

"Really? I was beginning to think you two were joined at the hip."

"Well, everyone needs a break sometimes."

"You make it sound like a relationship."

"Christ no." Sulu shook his head and the very thought away, "It's nothing like that." His face softened, "Besides there's someone else."

Jim beamed and pushed his friends shoulder lightly, "Sap."

Sulu chuckled, and paused before adding, "How are things with Gaila."

"Gaila?" Jim answered, a little thrown off guard at the question.  
"Fine? Actually nothing's really changed since the last time I saw her; still awkward as ever."

"Oh." There was a hint of surprise in Sulu's voice. He opened his mouth to say something and there was a loud knock on the door before the tired voice of a certain country doctor came through.

"You should'a left him outside." Bones called out.

"Sulu wouldn't do that! He's a good friend." Jim jogged over to the door to open it.

"What am I chopped liver?"

The doctor stepped through the door and nodded to Sulu.

"I gotta say you really outdid yourself this time. I had to rush out of the office cause of you." Bones grumbled. "By the way there's a girl in the lobby that wants your number."

Jim stuck his head out into the hall, "Really?"

"No." Bones smacked him lightly across the back of his head and pushed him out the door.

 

 

\---

 

 

Jim waited for the door of their dorm to click open at the swipe of the doctor's key card and ducked past him to dive towards the couch and his abandoned PADD.

"What on earth is this?" Bones was gesturing down to the wet puddles leading up to the door.

"Oh yeah...I was just out the shower when I stepped out."

"Well I'm not cleaning it up." Bones stepped around the wet footprints carefully, "What got you in such a rush to lock yourself out anyway?"

Jim pressed the PADD against his chest in thought, "You know I was in the shower and I thought I heard you come in.."

"So you ran outside in the middle of the shower to...greet me?" Bones raised a brow in confusion, "Well Jim, I didn't know you cared."

He shook his head and laughed, "Give me a break. You know it's just weird because I know I heard someone inside and they left the door open on their way out."

"Sure you didn't just forget to lock the door?"

"No..I'm sure that I did."

Bones shrugged his shoulders and sat down next to him to pull off his shoes.  
His shoes.

Jim stared at intently at slate gray boots.

"What?"

He surged forward and grabbed one of the pair the minute they left the doctor's feet, holding them up in front of him in interest.

"Is there a reason you're inspecting my shoes?"

"Where did you get these?"

"Why does it matter?"

"I'm not sure." He set them down to swipe a finger over the PADD screen. The file was still open, and with another tap the video began to play. Bones leaned over his shoulder and watched the dark screen.

"Are you showing me something?" The doctor asked once the screen failed to change.

Jim held up a finger to keep his friend's attention on the screen until the the ten second mark passed.

"You know if you like my shoes that much I think you could just have them replicated. Or you can just have them.."

Sure enough, just as Jim had suspected; it was the same pair of shoes. He didn't know how he hadn't recognized them before.

"No. It's not the shoes. I didn't take this video."

"What do you mean."

"I mean someone sent me this video."

"Yeah? For what purpose"

"I don't know."

"You think they want the shoes? I'm pretty sure they're not super hard to come by---in fact I think they have a ton of them down in the equipment locker"

"Oh Christ, would you give me a break." He shoved his friend, prompting the doctor to chuckle and continue

"I wouldn't think on it too hard, these are pretty common."

Jim looked down again at the shoes. He supposed the doctor was right, it must've been some stray piece of footage taken by forensics.

"Yeah I guess so." He tossed them back down. "Seriously though, I know I locked that door earlier."

"C'mon now you're just being paranoid"

"Maybe, but I know someone was in the apartment. Doesn't that make you even the slightest bit suspicious?"

"Well if someone's tryin to rob us they won't find anything. I got nothing but---"

"Your bones. Yeah, I know."

"What? No. I was gonna say I don't have anything but the things I got from the academy in here."

He shot his friend an exasperated expression but let Bones slip away to his bedroom without another comment. He stayed out in the living room, found himself replaying the video several times, looking for any detail that would explain it. Paranoid or not, it just didn't make sense.

His padd buzzed with a notificatiom and he looked down, startled.

_Gaila: you stood me up the other day_

_Didn't realize it was a date._

Jim sent it, but then rereading it thought: damn, would it read as asshole-ish?

_Gaila: got me there_

_I was drunk, and surprisingly it didn't seem like a good idea at the time._

_Gaila: can't get you when you're sober or under the influence lol_

The "lol" was tacked on there, almost as an afterthought and so the original tone was still there. He pulled his bottom lip into his mouth nervously and hovered his finger over the videocall button. A sincere face to face to assuage any open wounds could help. He thought better of it when he realized it also wouldn't hide his discomfort.

_You always got me Gaila, you don't even have to try._

A cop out and an understatement all at once.

 _Gaila_ _: sure jim_

He waited a few minutes for the bubble icon of an incoming message before lowering the device flat onto his chest and staring up at the ceiling.

When the familiar bing of a notification rang out from his device he lifted it, expecting another notification from Gaila only to be surprised by the default profile icon of an unknown sender.

# _###: I_ _apologize for our misunderstanding earlier._

Jim blinked at the message a few times before a flicker of recognition lit up at the back of his mind.

_Spock?_

There was a pause before he received a respond, the three elipses of a long considered response blinking at the end of the application screen before finally:

####:  _Yes._

He couldn't help but smile at the hesitation that carried over. Quickly saving the contact to his device, he shot back a response that he hoped came across as joking.

_Oh yeah? So what makes you think I'll take you back this time Mr. Spock?_

He inwardly cringed at his own "subtle" attempts at flirting but hit send anyway. He probably shouldn't be poking the proverbial sleeping bear, but part of him still hadn't forgiven Spock for earlier and was enjoying the discomfort it was probably causing the Vulcan.

Nevertheless, the response this time was almost immediate.

Spockooo:  _Perhaps I can make your morning more convenient to regain your favor._

_Is that so?_

_Spockooo: I will visit your dormitory  prior to when we are due in the field._

Visit his dormitory? It didn't seem like an offer so much as a promise. But he liked surprises, so instead of asking for details he simply agreed.

_Ok._

 

 

_\---_

 

 

By the time Bones' alarm goes off that morning Jim is already showered and dressed. He's only a little embarrassed to say that excitement about his first case kept him from a full 8 hours.

He's scrolling through the morning news feed when Bones finally comes stumbling out of his room half dressed to grab coffee. An article about the spike in crime in the city; the new designer drug thats having unforseeable side effects on its victims. He was sure he'd be hearing about it again later this morning.

"Jesus, y'scared me. What are you doing up already."

"Couldn't sleep." He saves the article for later and puts his padd down. "Also Spock's coming by, so I wanted to be ready to go when he did."

The doctor snorts into his drink, "Oh yeah? He your chauffer now or are you guys just that close."

"Very funny---" Like clockwork, someone is at the door panel and the computer chirps to announce them.

"Speak of the green devil."

Jim shoots Bones a look before moving to answer.

A tower of food stands behind the door. Or rather specifically, Spock carrying what looks to be a tower of food.

"Uh, you running meals for the station?"

"I did not know which meal you had a preference for."

"So...you got them all?" He pushes asides some of the wrinkled wrappings in Spocks arms and the salty smell of bacon that suddenly wafts over has him salivating. He steps back to let the Vulcan in.

Bones is on the food the second the bags are on the counter apparently, because then hes pulling on his clean white uniform jacket and flying past Jim with a bagel in his mouth and a muffled goodbye.

"I gotta say if you thought that bringing me a bunch of food was the way back in my good graces, you were right." He chuckles and settles on a breakfast burrito. Truly, he was touched.

Spock nods in acknowledgement, and moves to the vacated stool across from him. "I also thought it might be an ideal opportunity to exchange any notes on the new case we have been assigned to."

"All work and no play, Mr. Spock." A bit of egg fell out of his wrap.

Spock tilted his head in consideration, "I find investigative work more than stimulating."

"I believe you."

Spock, in favor of partaking in the meal spread out on the small counter of the dorm pulled up a notated copy of the case file and pushed the device towards Jim.

Tossing the stuffed tortilla down in front of him, he reached for the PADD with dusty fingers, and under the pointed stare of the man across from him, wiped the hand on the neoprene fabric of his uniform jacket before pulling the device closer.

He sped read through the first page, already familiar with its contents and matching it to Spock's highlights.

"So you think the syndicate's renewed activity is related to this new designer drug thats been hitting the streets." He said once he'd reached the footnotes.

"You've come to the same conclusion." Spock stated in response to the lack of surprise in his voice.

"Course I have, and I'm sure Richard came to the same conclusion if he's paying a visit to his inside guy this morning." He swiped over the screen to the next page and raised a brow at a brief note on the page,  _recent deaths,_  "But this, on the other hand is a little far fetched don't you think?"

"Perhaps it is." The vulcan answered carefully, "But there is evidence to support it."

"Leaving no stone unturned, I can agree with. But connecting this case to the murders on the Presidio, who will buy this."

"Perhaps no one, but I was given an opportunity to make a connection that others may have missed, as I've had access to both cases."

Jim leaned back in the stool, interested and waiting for Spock to elaborate.

"The night we visited the bar right outside of campus, there were Klingons on the premises."

"So? Klingons drink."

"Yes but the syndicate in this case file being investigated has been known in the past to work with Klingon mercenaries."

"Yeah,  as the muscle. But it still doesn't mean anything that a group of Klingons were at the bar."

"Ordinarily, but I am certain you yourself noticed their customers outside of the bar."

Jim thought about it, strained to pick apart the alcohol fogged memories from that night.

Klingons, deep in conversation in the alleyway. The customers Spock was referring to.

"The smell of lavender."

"I believe what you are referring to is the smell of the drug as described in the recent updates provided by the lab."

Spock was right, the detail had slipped past him while he was under the influence.

"That places syndicate activity pretty close to the campus. So maybe we're not looking at a serial killer. You think the victims were users?"

"Perhaps they were, or distributors"

"Cadets? Selling designer drugs on campus?"

Spocik raised a brow at the doubt in his voice, "Is it so unlikely to you?"

"No I guess not; cadets love to party. I just figure if we're here, it means we're at the very least law abiding. Seems sort out of line with the whole "future of starfleet and planetary protection" thing. Plus, Gary had his issues but...drugs?"

"I find that humans often struggle to abide by the very principles they claim to value."

Jim blinked, "Ouch, I think I should be offended."

"I was merely making an  observation."

"Sweeping generalization noted."

Jim crumpled the container that previously held his burrito and moved to feed it into the small recycler below the replicator. "We should get going, we don't want to be late for our first day."

Spock, agreeing silently, packed up the remaining breakfast items scatteted on the counter and waited for him to pull on his jacket before following him to the door. Jim made sure to turn the handle a few times before walking away, just to be certain.

On their way out he found Sulu in the lobby, tapping away furiously on his PADD. Jim moved to greet him but the cadet jumped to face him before he could get the greeting out. "Jim" There was a sound in the mans voice that Jim couldn't place. "Have you seen Chekov?" He glanced over at Spock while waiting for an answer, who stared back at him blankly.

"No...? Why whats up."

"Nothing. Well maybe. Its just that he and Janice were supposed to meet up last night and she says he stood her up. But..he didn't come back to the room last night." It was worry, in his voice Jim recognized.

He was tempted to say that Chekov, green as he was, was surely a big boy and could manage himself. But Jim knew by his roommates tone of voice that the behavior was unusual.

"I mean, I'm sure he's okay. Did you try reaching him."

"I'm not getting a response."

Jim felt Spock step closer to him,  "James, we will be late."

"Oh crap you're right." He glanced regretably back at Sulu, "Hey I've gotta go."

The three hour shuttle ride off the campus was a quiet one. Spock seemed to be contemplating something deeply, and so Jim, not wanting to disturb him spent much of the time going over the case file on his PADD and watching the landscape transform from the neat rows of palms on the Presidio to the worn concrete walls of pre-fabricated apartment complexes.

"Is this it? Jim asked, once the four person shuttle came to a stop. Spock responded with a short nod and was stepping out, having punched in the address on file. They'd stopped at a rather deserted looking stretch of buildings, and the shuttle thanked them for their service before closing its door behind Jim and mosying along the block, back to the nearest shuttle station.

Jim felt a little nervous as they walked up to the thick metal gate leading into the lobby. It was still early, but it was suspiciously empty on the grounds,  not a neighbor or child out in the paved over courtyards facing the buldings. "Did a storm blow through here or what?"

Spock turned and raised a brow at his question, the first time he'd acknowledged Jim since they'd left the academy.

"Its just, a bit quiet here don't you think."

"I believe a large number of these buildings are vacant."

Jim turned to glance at the neighboring buildings, rows and rows of slate rectangles in an otherwise lively part of the city. It wasnt surprising; who'd want to live here. "Seems like a waste."

"Perhaps not to the syndicate."

They were waiting for a few minutes in front of the building before they heard the harsh echo of footsteps around the corner, and Jim expecting the worst, stiffened.

"You two sure know how to be inconspicuous." Jim recognized the source of sarcasm as Officer Richard. The man was relatively dressed down, having forgoed the crisp two piece of the protection offices for slacks and a leather jacket. Jim tugged on the jacket of his cadet uniform self-consciously, while Spock appeared mostly unphased by the remark.

"This is how its gonna work," the older officer began, "I'm going to head in there to talk to one of our CIs, you two are going to follow me and keep quiet and observe. Igwe wants me to train you in the field, so stay out of my way and you might learn something." He finished, looking between the two of them for an acknowledgment before stepping past them to hit the door panel.

There was the crackle of a connection opening between the gate and the hailed apartment. Richard leaned forward to speak in the mic, "Coming by for a drink."

When Jim was beginning to suspect that no one was home, there was a light beep of acknowledgement and a click as the gate opened. The apartment lobby itself was nonexistent, a short room leading straight either to a flight of stairs or an elevator. It was dark as they followed Richard up the stairs.

They went up six floors and finally came to a stop in front of the last door in a narrow corridor of apartments. J64. Richard knocked lightly and the door was opened slightly to allow a bloodshot eye to peer out at them.

Richard reached into his jacket and pulled out a data chip, he held it up to the door, and the eye on the other side seemed to accept this, because the door swung further open to let them in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ones a really short one guys, sorry for the long wait. After my last chapter, life got busy but I'm ready to pick back up and I've been sitting on this one for a long time


End file.
